"Why didn't you have someone tell me you were this sick?"

Lancelot stood in the middle of the room, now shirtless, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Florian with clear concern.

After realizing it was Lancelot he had just thrown up on, Florian had panicked and dragged him straight into his room so no one in the hallway would see the situation.

The result was… this.

Lancelot without a shirt.

And Florian is still pale and teary-eyed.

"If I told you," Florian said tiredly, wiping the corner of his eyes, "you would hover around me the entire time. You'd worry too much. And you might even tell… him."

He didn't say the name.

He didn't need to.

"And then he'd barge in here," Florian finished.

Heinz.

That was exactly who he meant.

Florian crossed his arms and gave Lancelot a pointed look.

"Let's be honest with each other. You're here because you're spying on me for him."

Lancelot sighed and placed a hand on his hip.

"I'm here because the king thinks you might need protection," he replied. "Not to spy on you."

His eyes flicked down briefly before returning to Florian's face.

"And I'm also pretty sure I cannot tell him about this situation," Lancelot added dryly. "Considering he might behead me if he finds out I'm alone in your room with you while I'm shirtless."

Florian blinked.

"…Fair."

"Yes," Florian continued after a moment, exhaling slowly. "So let's keep this between us and…"

He hesitated.

'Should I trust him?' Florian thought, studying Lancelot carefully.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

'Maybe.'

"And?" Lancelot prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"And help me."

Lancelot frowned.

"What?" he asked. "Help you with what? Are you feeling worse than you were earlier?"

Florian shook his head.

"No. Well… yes. But that's not the point." He glanced at the door and quickly walked over to check the lock.

Still locked.

Good.

He turned back and beckoned Lancelot closer.

"Just listen."

Lancelot looked confused but stepped forward anyway, leaning down slightly so Florian could whisper without raising his voice.

He stopped at a respectful distance.

Close enough to hear.

Far enough that it wouldn't look scandalous.

Florian blinked.

'Wow,' he thought. 'Since when did he start being careful about that?'

Not that it mattered much anymore.

His problems had gotten significantly worse.

Pregnancy.

Heinz.

And whatever was happening inside this manor.

Still… in a strange way, that meant he had fewer smaller problems to worry about.

Florian leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Look," he whispered. "I don't know if you noticed, but something is off with the maids here."

Lancelot's brows drew together.

"You mean the earlier incident?"

"No," Florian said quickly. "Not that. Something else."

He rubbed his temple.

"You know I came here because of Duke Elara's request, right?"

"Yes," Lancelot replied slowly.

"It's the same task she once gave the former queen," Florian continued. "But she told me the queen was too far gone to complete it."

He exhaled quietly.

"And I think… that might be because of the maids."

Lancelot waited.

Florian lowered his voice even further.

"Something is wrong with them."

Lancelot stared at him for a second.

Then he said calmly,

"You mean aside from the fact that most of them have visible deformities or disabilities… and many of them are pregnant even though no men are living in this manor?"

Florian froze.

Completely froze.

His eyes widened.

"Wait…" he said slowly.

A horrifying realization hit him all at once.

'Holy shit,' Florian thought. 'I didn't even notice that.'

Lancelot raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at his lips.

"You're usually sharper than I am, Prince Florian," he said. "Are you really that sick that you didn't notice?"

Florian tried not to react.

He failed.

He let out a quiet huff.

"To be fair," Florian muttered, crossing his arms, "I thought they just hired pregnant maids from the start."

Lancelot's smile faded as he straightened and looked away, his expression turning thoughtful.

"Lord Eldrick mentioned earlier that he hasn't hired new maids in years," Lancelot said slowly. "He claimed the ones he already had were more than capable."

He glanced back at Florian.

"To be honest, one of the reasons I came looking for you tonight was to ask if you had noticed anything strange as well."

Florian went still.

'He hasn't hired a maid in years,' Florian repeated in his head.

And yet the manor was full of them.

More than he had ever seen in any noble household.

Too many.

The thought settled heavily in his chest.

Florian stayed quiet for a moment, weighing his options.

'Should I tell him?' he wondered.

Normally, he would investigate on his own.

But now…

His hand drifted unconsciously toward his stomach.

'Not like this,' he thought.

His body was already struggling. Running around the manor alone, searching hidden rooms, confronting suspicious servants… that was a terrible idea.

And Scarlett and Athena were out of the question. He had invited them here for a break, not to drag them into something dangerous.

So that left Lancelot.

Florian exhaled slowly.

"I wasn't just walking earlier," he admitted. "Well, I was. But while I was out, I overheard something."

Lancelot immediately focused on him.

"First of all, Juno can speak."

"Juno? As in the mute one?"

Florian nods. "Yes, apparently, she's not mute."

"I mean, not too surprising. She's not deaf either; she can clearly understand people. She seems much too...eloquent in writing for a 'mute' servant."

'Show off.' Florian thought, irritated that he didn't notice that.

"Well, she was talking with two other girls," Florian continued quietly. "They called her mother."

Lancelot's brows lifted slightly.

"And then they walked into a hidden passage behind a painting."

"A hidden passage?" Lancelot asked, his eyes widening a little.

Florian nodded.

"It's a portrait of Eldrick and his daughter," he said. "The painting lifted, and there was a staircase going down."

He paused, remembering the moment.

"They were also talking about me," Florian added. "About how I was suspicious for watching them earlier. They want to keep an eye on me."

He met Lancelot's gaze.

"That pretty much confirms something strange is going on here."

Lancelot fell quiet.

His expression grew more serious.

After a moment, he spoke again.

"Do you think Duke Elara sent you here to uncover whatever this is?"

Florian didn't answer right away.

Lancelot continued, his voice lower now.

"There have always been rumors about Lord Eldrick," he said. "Nothing proven. But enough whispers that people keep their distance."

He paused.

"And there were… reasons why he allowed Duke Elara to become the ruling duke so easily."

Could it really be connected?

If it was, Florian needed to know.

"I know that look."

Florian looks up. "What?"

"You have an idea. What is it?"